Author: Stephanie

March’s Celebrity Book Club Picks

- Stephanie Leave a comment

It’s a new month which means that Jenna Bush Hager and Reese Witherspoon have picked new books for their book clubs! Reminder that if you join Simply Held, you can choose to have their selections automatically put on hold for you.

_________________________________

Jenna Bush Hager has selected The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami for her March pick.

Curious what The Dream Hotel is about? Check out the following description provided by the publisher.

Sara has just landed at LAX, returning home from a conference abroad, when agents from the Risk Assessment Administration pull her aside and inform her that she will soon commit a crime. Using data from her dreams, the RAA’s algorithm has determined that she is at imminent risk of harming the person she loves most: her husband. For his safety, she must be kept under observation for twenty-one days.

The agents transfer Sara to a retention center, where she is held with other dreamers, all of them women trying to prove their innocence from different crimes. With every deviation from the strict and ever-shifting rules of the facility, their stay is extended. Months pass and Sara seems no closer to release. Then one day, a new resident arrives, disrupting the order of the facility and leading Sara on a collision course with the very companies that have deprived her of her freedom.

Eerie, urgent, and ceaselessly clear-eyed, The Dream Hotel artfully explores the seductive nature of technology, which puts us in shackles even as it makes our lives easier. Lalami asks how much of ourselves must remain private if we are to remain free, and whether even the most invasive forms of surveillance can ever capture who we really are. – Pantheon

__________________________________

Reese Witherspoon has selected Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall for her March pick.

Curious what Broken Country is about? Check out the following description provided by the publisher.

“The farmer is dead. He is dead, and all anyone wants to know is who killed him.”

Beth and her gentle, kind husband Frank are happily married, but their relationship relies on the past staying buried. But when Beth’s brother-in-law shoots a dog going after their sheep, Beth doesn’t realize that the gunshot will alter the course of their lives. For the dog belonged to none other than Gabriel Wolfe, the man Beth loved as a teenager—the man who broke her heart years ago. Gabriel has returned to the village with his young son Leo, a boy who reminds Beth very much of her own son, who died in a tragic accident.

As Beth is pulled back into Gabriel’s life, tensions around the village rise and dangerous secrets and jealousies from the past resurface, this time with deadly consequences. Beth is forced to make a choice between the woman she once was, and the woman she has become.

A sweeping love story with the pace and twists of a thriller, Broken Country is a novel of simmering passion, impossible choices, and explosive consequences that toggles between the past and present to explore the far-reaching legacy of first love. – Simon & Schuster

This title is also available in large print.

Join Simply Held to have Oprah, Jenna, and Reese’s adult selections automatically put on hold for you!

New Books on Environmentalism

- Stephanie Leave a comment

Curious about how you can help the environment? Check out these new books about environmentalism available at the Davenport Public Library! From practical ways to make your kitchen zero waste to learning about climate change, these titles cover a wide variety of topics related to environmentalism. If you’re looking for other similar topics, feel free to contact us today!

All of these titles are owned by the Davenport Public Library at the time of this writing. The descriptions are provided by the publisher.

Becoming Earth: How Our Planet Came to Life by Ferris Jabr

A vivid account of a major shift in how we understand Earth, from an exceptionally talented new voice. Earth is not simply an inanimate planet on which life evolved, but rather a planet that came to life.

One of humanity’s oldest beliefs is that our world is alive. Though once ridiculed by some scientists, the idea of Earth as a vast interconnected living system has gained acceptance in recent decades. We, and all living things, are more than inhabitants of Earth—we are Earth, an outgrowth of its structure and an engine of its evolution. Life and its environment have coevolved for billions of years, transforming a lump of orbiting rock into a cosmic oasis—a planet that breathes, metabolizes, and regulates its climate.

Acclaimed science writer Ferris Jabr reveals a radical new vision of Earth where lush forests spew water, pollen, and bacteria to summon rain; giant animals engineer the very landscapes they roam; microbes chew rock to shape continents; and microscopic plankton, some as glittering as carved jewels, remake the air and sea.

Humans are one of the most extreme examples of life transforming Earth. Through fossil fuel consumption, agriculture, and pollution, we have altered more layers of the planet in less time than any other species, pushing Earth into a crisis. But we are also uniquely able to understand and protect the planet’s wondrous ecology and self-stabilizing processes. Jabr introduces us to a diverse cast of fascinating people who have devoted themselves to this vital work.

Becoming Earth is an exhilarating journey through the hidden workings of our planetary symphony—its players, its instruments, and the music of life that emerges—and an invitation to reexamine our place in it. How well we play our part will determine what kind of Earth our descendants inherit for millennia to come. – Random House

Before It’s Gone: Stories from the Front Lines of Climate Change in Small-Town America by Jonathan Vigliotti

Discussion of the climate crisis has always suffered from a problem of abstraction. Data points and warnings of an overheated future struggle to break through the noise of everyday life. Deniers often portray climate solutions as inconvenient, expensive, and unnecessary. And many politicians, cloistered by status and focused always on their next election, do not yet see climate as a winning issue in the short run. But climate change is here whether we want to pay attention or not.

CBS News national correspondent Jonathan Vigliotti has personally witnessed that crisis unfold, spending nearly two decades reporting across the United States (and the world) documenting the people, communities, landmarks, and traditions we’ve already surrendered. Vigliotti shares with urgency and personal touch the story of an America on the brink.

This “page-turning tour de force” (Steve Brusatte, New York Times bestselling author) traces Vigliotti’s travels across the country, taking him to the frontlines of climate disaster and revealing the genuine impacts of climate change that countless Americans have already been forced to confront. From massive forest fires in California to hurricanes in Louisiana, receding coastlines in Massachusetts and devastated fisheries in Alaska, we learn that warnings of a future impacted by climate are no more; the climate catastrophe is already here. – Atria / One Signal Publishers

The Age of Melt: What Glaciers, Ice Mummies, and Ancient Artifacts Teach Us about Climate, Culture, and a Future Without Ice by Lisa Baril

A thought-provoking scientific narrative investigating ice patch archaeology and the role of glaciers in the development of human culture.

Glaciers figure prominently in both ancient and contemporary narratives around the world. They inspire art and literature. They spark both fear and awe. And they give and take life. In The Age of Melt, environmental journalist Lisa Baril explores the deep-rooted cultural connection between humans and ice through time.

Thousands of organic artifacts are emerging from patches of melting ice in mountain ranges around the world. Archaeologists are in a race against time to find them before they disappear forever. In entertaining and enlightening prose, Baril travels from the Alps to the Andes, investigating what these artifacts teach us about climate and culture. But this is not a chronicle of loss. The Age of Melt explores what these artifacts reveal about culture, wilderness, and what we gain when we rethink our relationship to the world and its most precious and ephemeral substance—ice. – Timber Press

The Burning Earth: A History by Sunil Amrith

A brilliant, paradigm-shifting global history of how humanity has reshaped the planet, and the planet has shaped human history, over the last 500 years.

In this magisterial book, historian Sunil Amrith twins the stories of environment and Empire, of genocide and eco-cide, of an extraordinary expansion of human freedom and its planetary costs. Drawing on an extraordinarily rich diversity of primary sources, he reckons with the ruins of Portuguese silver mining in Peru, British gold mining in South Africa, and oil extraction in Central Asia. He explores the railroads and highways that brought humans to new terrains of battle against each other and against stubborn nature. Amrith’s account of the ways in which the First and Second World Wars involved the massive mobilization not only of men, but of other natural resources from around the globe, provides an essential new way of understanding war as an irreversible reshaping of the planet. So too does this book reveal the reality of migration as consequence of environmental harm.

The imperial, globe-spanning pursuit of profit, joined with new forms of energy and new possibilities of freedom from hunger and discomfort, freedom to move and explore, has brought change to every inch of the Earth. Amrith relates in gorgeous prose, and on the largest canvas, a mind-altering epic—vibrant with stories, characters, and vivid images—in which humanity might find the collective wisdom to save itself. – WW Norton & Company

The Nature of Our Cities: Harnessing the Power of the Natural World to Survive a Changing Planet by Nadina Galle

In the tradition of Elizabeth Kolbert and Michael Pollan, The Nature of Our Cities is a stirring exploration of how innovators from around the world are combining urban nature with emerging technologies, protecting the planet’s cities from the effects of climate change and safeguarding the health of their inhabitants.

We live in an age when humanity spends 90% of its time indoors, yet the nature around us—especially in America’s cities—has never been more vital. This distancing from nature has sparked crises in mental health, longevity, and hope for the next generation, while also heightening the risks we face from historic floods, heatwaves, and wildfires. Indeed, embracing nature holds untapped potential to strengthen and fortify our cities, suburbs, and towns, providing solutions spanning flood preparation, wildfire management, and promoting longevity. As ecological engineer Dr. Nadina Galle shows in The Nature of Our Cities nature is our most critical infrastructure for tackling the climate crisis. It just needs a little help.

A fellow at MIT’s Senseable City Lab and selected for Forbes’ 30 under 30 list, Galle is at the forefront of the growing movement to fuse nature and technology for urban resilience. In THE NATURE OF OUR CITIES, she embarks on a journey as fascinating as it is pressing, showing how scientists and citizens from around the world are harnessing emerging technologies to unlock the power of the natural world to save their cities, a phenomenon she calls the “Internet of Nature.” Traveling the globe, Galle examines how urban nature, long an afterthought for many, actually points the way toward a more sustainable future. She reveals how technology can help nature navigate this precarious moment with modern advances such as:

  • Laser-mapping that identifies at-risk neighborhoods to fight deadly health disparities
  • A.I.-powered robots that prevent wildfires from reaching urban areas
  • Intelligent water gardens that protect cities from floods and hurricanes

Advanced sensors that achieve 99% tree survival in dry, hot summers
Optimistic in spirit yet pragmatic in approach, Galle writes persuasively that the future of urban life depends on balancing the natural world with the technology that can help sustain it. By turns clear-eyed and lyrical, THE NATURE OF OUR CITIES marks the emergence of an invigorating, prescient new talent in nature writing. – Mariner Books

101 Tips for a Zero-Waste Kitchen by Kathryn Kellogg

Forty percent of all food produced in the US is wasted—the author of 101 Ways to Go Zero Waste is here with solutions!

Kathryn Kellogg is taking her accessible tips for a zero-waste lifestyle and focusing on the heart of the house. Our kitchens can produce a shocking amount of waste and, even though food scraps may seem harmless, they can’t properly decompose in a landfill. What’s more: wasting food can strain your wallet. The average American family of four will lose $1,500 annually on food waste. It’s time to turn things around!

101 Tips for a Zero Waste Kitchen is your guide to reducing waste in your kitchen. Kathryn will teach you how to buy in bulk, avoid unnecessary packaging, upcycle jars, and more. Plus, she’ll give you recipes that make use of your scraps: preserve your lemon peels for extra flavor, create simple syrup from strawberry tops, and revive shriveled mushrooms. With a little work and Kathryn in your corner, you’ll have the tools you need to reach the ultimate goal: no produce left behind! – WW Norton & Company

His and Hers by Alice Feeney

- Stephanie Leave a comment

“Sometimes I think I am the unreliable narrator of my own life. Sometimes I think we all are.”
― Alice Feeney, His & Hers

Alice Feeney is hands-down one of my favorite thriller writers. Looking for a new-to-me read, I found His & Hers by Alice Feeney, a novel released in 2020 that I missed! How?! Let’s get into it.

Anna Andrews may not have the personal life she wants, but she finally has the professional career she has worked so hard for. She is currently working as the main TV presenter for the BBC’s lunchtime news. Her job always comes ahead of her family, friends, and her ex-husband. When a news story involves a murder in the sleepy village, Blackdown, where Anna grew up, she is reluctant to go, but makes the journey anyway. As soon as she learns who the victim is, Anna has to stay to cover the story and to make sure that her secrets stay buried. CI Jack Harper needed a change when he left London and settled in Blackdown. Drawn into this murder case, the detective is suspicious of Anna’s involvement and immediately considers her a suspect. Secrets run rife in Blackdown and this outsider has their own share.

I listened to the audiobook and absolutely loved it. Alternating narrators, Feeney has written a dark, mysterious, fast-paced, and complex thriller that had me questioning what I thought I knew the entire time I was reading. Alice Feeney is the master of twists and AHHHH they got me good at the end of this novel. Can’t wait for her next book!

This title is also available in large print.

Online Reading Challenge – March

- Stephanie Leave a comment

Welcome Readers!

This month the Online Reading Challenge is focusing on biographical fiction. Biographical fiction tells the story of a real person while using fictional elements. Our main title for March is The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris. Here’s a quick summary from the publisher:

In April 1942, Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew, is forcibly transported to the concentration camps at Auschwitz-Birkenau. When his captors discover that he speaks several languages, he is put to work as a Tätowierer (the German word for tattooist), tasked with permanently marking his fellow prisoners.

Imprisoned for over two and a half years, Lale witnesses horrific atrocities and barbarism—but also incredible acts of bravery and compassion. Risking his own life, he uses his privileged position to exchange jewels and money from murdered Jews for food to keep his fellow prisoners alive.

One day in July 1942, Lale, prisoner 32407, comforts a trembling young woman waiting in line to have the number 34902 tattooed onto her arm. Her name is Gita, and in that first encounter, Lale vows to somehow survive the camp and marry her.

A vivid, harrowing, and ultimately hopeful re-creation of Lale Sokolov’s experiences as the man who tattooed the arms of thousands of prisoners with what would become one of the most potent symbols of the Holocaust, The Tattooist of Auschwitz is also a testament to the endurance of love and humanity under the darkest possible conditions. – Harper

This title is also available in large print and CD audiobook.

Looking for some other biographical fiction? Try any of the following.

As always, check each of our locations for displays with lots more titles to choose from!

Oprah’s Latest Book Club Pick: Dream State by Eric Puchner

- Stephanie Leave a comment

Join Simply Held to have certain celebrity book club picks automatically put on hold for you: Reese Witherspoon, Jenna Bush Hager, and Oprah Winfrey. While Reese and Jenna generally announce a new title each month, Oprah’s selections are more sporadic. Reminder that if you join Simply Held, you can choose to have these titles automatically put on hold for you.

_________________________________

Oprah Winfrey’s latest selection is Dream State by Eric Puchner.

Curious what Dream State is about? Check out the following description provided by the publisher.

Cece is in love. She has arrived early at her future in-laws’ lake house in Salish, Montana, to finish planning her wedding to Charlie, a young doctor with a brilliant life ahead of him. Charlie has asked Garrett, his best friend from college, to officiate the ceremony, though Cece can’t imagine anyone more ill-suited for the task—an airport baggage handler haunted by a tragedy from his and Charlie’s shared past. But as Cece spends time with Garrett, his gruff mask slips, and she grows increasingly uncertain about her future. And why does Garrett, after meeting Cece, begin to feel, well, human again? As a contagious stomach flu threatens to scuttle the wedding, and Charlie and Garrett’s friendship is put to the ultimate test, Cece must decide between the life she’s dreamed of and a life she’s never imagined.

The events of that summer have long-lasting repercussions, not only on the three friends caught in its shadow but also on their children, who struggle to escape their parents’ story. Spanning fifty years and set against the backdrop of a rapidly warming Montana, Dream State explores what it means to live with the mistakes of the past—both our own and the ones we’ve inherited.

Written with humor, precision, and enormous heart, both a love letter and an elegy to the American West, Dream State is a thrillingly ambitious ode to the power of friendship, the weird weather of marriage, and the beauty of impermanence. – Doubleday

_________________________________

Join Simply Held to have Oprah, Jenna, and Reese’s adult selections automatically put on hold for you!

Online Reading Challenge – February Wrap-Up

- Stephanie Leave a comment

Hello Fellow Challenge Readers!

How did your reading go this month? Did you read a mystery that you enjoyed? Share in the comments!

I read our main title: The Lamplighters by Emma Stonex. I started reading a print copy of this book, but life got in the way, so I quickly turned to listening to the audiobook. Inspired by the true story of three lighthouse keepers disappearing from a remote tower in 1972, The Lamplighters dives into the lives of the keepers and those they left behind. The premise was fascinating and hooked me from the start. Flipping back and forth between 1972 and 1992, readers learn about what happened before the keepers disappeared and then 20 years later to present day. The circumstances surrounding their disappearances are never known, but theories abound. When a writer decides to interview the family members of the men in 1992, he hopes to find a united front, but instead discovers that the three main women have separated.

This narrative is tense, dark and unsettling. Saying that I enjoyed it sounds a bit wrong, but the exploration of the psychological impacts that lighthouse keeping, the tower, and grief have on everyone involved was intriguing. Multiple different points of view are shared, secrets are uncovered, and lives are woven together into a messy normal life. Seeing how the relationships change over time is typical of normal life with some changes. While this is a mystery, supernatural theories are explored. The ending wasn’t what I expected and I would LOVE to know your thoughts on it! While I know that we truly will never know what happened both to the real life men that disappeared and to the men in this book, the ending was challenging for me (I’m trying so hard not to spoil anything). Let me know your thoughts and concerns in the comments!

Next month, we will be reading biographical fiction!

In addition to following the Online Reading Challenge here on our Info Cafe blog, you can join our Online Reading Challenge group on Goodreads and discuss your reads!

New Spirituality Books

- Stephanie Leave a comment

If you’re looking for a book about spirituality, you may be surprised at all the different types of books that fall under this category. If you’re unsure where to start, I recommend you look at our new spirituality books. Below you will find a list of new spirituality books that have just hit our new shelves. If you’re looking for more, don’t hesitate to reach out and ask!

These titles are currently owned by the Davenport Public Library at the time of this writing. Descriptions have been provided by the publishers.

Finding God’s Will for Your Life: Discovering the Plans God Has for You by Joyce Meyer

Did you ever dream about what you would be when you grew up? We think naturally about our purpose because God tells us that He created us to do great things. But how do we know when we have truly found God’s calling for our lives? Many people live most of their lives striving to find and follow God’s will but still wondering whether they’ve gotten it right. The many pressures, expectations, and distractions we experience can create confusion and anxiety and cause us to doubt whether we are following God’s will or if He even has a plan for us at all.

Beloved Bible teacher Joyce Meyer invites us on a journey to confidence, freedom, and peace through exploring the wisdom of what the Bible tells us about God’s character and about His love and purpose for us. She also offers practical steps to discovering how to build your trust in God, seek His guidance, and overcome the fear of missing out on His best for you.

If you’re struggling to have confidence that you can hear God’s voice and know what He’s created you to be and do, Finding God’s Will for Your Life will leave you with more peace and more confidence to live joyfully in God’s love and walk the path He has for you. – FaithWords

In My Time of Dying: How I Came Face to Face with the Idea of an Afterlife by Sebastian Junger

A near-fatal health emergency leads to this powerful reflection on death—and what might follow—by the bestselling author of Tribe and The Perfect Storm.

For years as an award-winning war reporter, Sebastian Junger traveled to many front lines and frequently put his life at risk. And yet the closest he ever came to death was the summer of 2020 while spending a quiet afternoon at the New England home he shared with his wife and two young children. Crippled by abdominal pain, Junger was rushed to the hospital by ambulance. Once there, he began slipping away. As blackness encroached, he was visited by his dead father, inviting Junger to join him. “It’s okay,” his father said. “There’s nothing to be scared of. I’ll take care of you.” That was the last thing Junger remembered until he came to the next day when he was told he had suffered a ruptured aneurysm that he should not have survived.

This experience spurred Junger—a confirmed atheist raised by his physicist father to respect the empirical—to undertake a scientific, philosophical, and deeply personal examination of mortality and what happens after we die. How do we begin to process the brutal fact that any of us might perish unexpectedly on what begins as an ordinary day? How do we grapple with phenomena that science may be unable to explain? And what happens to a person, emotionally and spiritually, when forced to reckon with such existential questions?

In My Time of Dying is part medical drama, part searing autobiography, and part rational inquiry into the ultimate unknowable mystery. – Simon & Schuster

Life After Doom: Wisdom and Courage for a World Falling Apart by Brian D McLaren

A deeply insightful exploration of how to live with wisdom, resilience and love in our turbulent times

For the last quarter-century, author and activist Brian D. McLaren has been writing at the intersection of religious faith and contemporary culture. In Life After Doom, he engages with the catastrophic failure of both our religious and political leaders to address the dominant realities of our time: ecological overshoot, economic injustice, and the increasing likelihood of civilizational collapse. McLaren defines doom as the “un-peaceful, uneasy, unwanted feeling” that “we humans have made a mess of our civilization and our planet, and not enough of us seem to care enough to change deeply enough or quickly enough to save ourselves.”

Blending insights from philosophers, poets, scientists, and theologians, Life After Doom explores the complexity of hope, the necessity of grief, and the need for new ways of thinking, becoming, and belonging in turbulent times. If you want to help yourself, your family, and the communities to which you belong to find courage and resilience for the deeply challenging times that are upon us — this is the book you need right now. – St. Martin’s Essentials

The False White Gospel: Rejecting Christian Nationalism, Reclaiming True Faith, and Refounding Democracy by Jim Wallis

It is time says Jim Wallis, to call out genuine faith—specifically the “Christian” in White Christian Nationalism—inviting all who can be persuaded to reject and help dismantle a false gospel that propagates white supremacy and autocracy. We need–to raise up the faith of all of us, and help those who are oblivious, stuck, and captive to the ideology and idolatry of White Christian Nationalism that is leading us to such great danger. Wallis turns our attention to six iconic texts at the heart of what genuine biblical faith means and what Jesus, in the gospels, has called us to do. It is time to ask anew: do we believe these teachings or not?

This book isn’t only for Christians but for all faith traditions, and even those with no faith at all. When we see a civic promotion of fear, hate, and violence for the trajectory of our politics, we need a civic faith of love, healing, and hope to defeat it. And that must involve all of us–religious or not. Learning to practice a politics of neighbor love will be central to the future of democracy in America. And more than ever, the words of Jesus ring, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” – St. Martin’s Essentials

More New Spirituality Books

2025 All Iowa Reads Selections

- Stephanie Leave a comment

The State Library of Iowa has announced the 2025 All Iowa Reads titles! I look forward to this announcement every year. Per the State Library of Iowa’s website, ‘Established in 2003, the purpose of All Iowa Reads is to foster a sense of unity through reading. Iowans are encouraged to come together in their communities to read and talk about a single book title in the same calendar year. All Iowa Reads consists of three programs, each with one title chosen per year: adults, teens ages 12-18, and kids ages 8-12.’ Resources such as discussion questions, author biographies and more related to each title are available on the State Library of Iowa All Iowa Reads website. Take time this year to read these titles and discuss with others! We look forward to hearing what you think of these selections.

At the time of this writing, all titles are owned by the Davenport Public Library. Descriptions have been provided by the publishers.

Adult Selection

Distant Sons by Tim Johnston

What if Sean Courtland’s old Chevy truck had broken down somewhere else? What if he’d never met Denise Givens, a waitress at a local tavern, and gotten into a bar fight defending her honor? Or offered a ride to Dan Young, another young man like Sean, burdened by secrets and just drifting through the small Wisconsin town?

Instead, Sean enlists Dan’s help with a construction job in the basement of a local—the elderly, reclusive Marion Devereaux—and gradually the two men come to realize that they’ve washed up in a place haunted by the disappearance of three young boys decades earlier. As Sean and Dan’s friendship deepens, and as Sean gets closer to Denise and her father, they come to the attention of a savvy local detective, Corrine Viegas, who has her own reasons for digging into Dan’s past—and for being unable to resist the pull of the town’s unsolved mystery. And with each chance connection, an irreversible chain of events is set in motion that culminates in shattering violence and the revelation of long-buried truths.

Gripping and immersive, this crime novel by bestselling author Tim Johnston becomes so much more: a book about friendship and love and good hard work—and a masterful read about how the most random intersection of lives can have consequences both devastating and beautiful. – Algonquin Books

Teen Selection

Rez Ball by Byron Graves

These days, Tre Brun is happiest when he is playing basketball on the Red Lake Reservation high school team—even though he can’t help but be constantly gut-punched with memories of his big brother, Jaxon, who died in an accident.

When Jaxon’s former teammates on the varsity team offer to take Tre under their wing, he sees this as his shot to represent his Ojibwe rez all the way to their first state championship. This is the first step toward his dream of playing in the NBA, no matter how much the odds are stacked against him.

But stepping into his brother’s shoes as a star player means that Tre can’t mess up. Not on the court, not at school, and not with his new friend, gamer Khiana, who he is definitely not falling in love with.

After decades of rez teams almost making it, Tre needs to take his team to state. Because if he can live up to Jaxon’s dreams, their story isn’t over yet. – Heartdrum

Kids Selection

Jawbreaker by Christina Wyman

Max Plink’s life just got a lot more complicated. Trouble at home? Check—with money tight, her parents haven’t been getting along lately. School bullies? Double check—especially if you count her sister, who is the worst bully of them all. Dental drama? Oh, you have no idea. With a mismatched puzzle of a jaw, Max has a Class II malocclusion, otherwise known as a severe overbite. She already has braces, which means she lives on Advil and soft foods after each orthodontist appointment. But now Max has to wear totally awkward orthodontic headgear nicknamed “the jawbreaker.” Could things get any worse?

Yes, they could. The journalism competition Max wants to enter has a video component. But being on camera means showing her face not just to her junior high classmates, but possibly the whole city. Going viral is the last thing Max needs, but winning this competition is what she wants most. Turns out, following her dreams is complicated, too.

Inspired by Christina Wyman’s own experience with a Class II malocclusion, Jawbreaker is a humorous and refreshingly honest story perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier, Terri Libenson, Kelly Yang, Gordon Korman, and other endlessly funny and deeply heartfelt books that tackle big topics and universal coming-of-age experiences alike. – Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

The Nightmare Before Kissmas by Sara Raasch

- Stephanie Leave a comment

The Nightmare Before Kissmas is book 1 in the Royals and Romance series by Sara Raasch. This book is a mix between The Nightmare Before Christmas, Red, White, & Royal Blue, and The Santa Clause and I absolutely LOVED it. 5/5 stars. It was delightful and raunchy and messy and adorable. The world building isn’t overwhelming, the characters are well-developed, and the relationships are realistic. The second book, Go Luck Yourself, is set to be published in March 2025. I can’t wait!

Nicholas ‘Coal’ Claus may be the heir apparent to Christmas, but that doesn’t stop him from being on the naughty list. His father, the reigning Santa, has turned Christmas into a PR stunt, hauling Coal and his younger brother out in front of the news media whenever he has the chance. Determined to find some normalcy, Coal isn’t afraid to bend the rules, even when his escapades end with him drunkenly making out with a random dark stranger in a bar alley after some devastating news breaks.

His attempts to escape are soon quelled by his father when Coal, his brother and his best friend Iris are brought together for Christmas kick-off festivities. Coal is shocked to discover that his father has decreed that he is to marry Iris. This whole situation is bound to end in disaster, given that his brother is secretly in love with Iris. When Halloween unexpectedly shows up with their own suitor for Iris, Coal is at a loss. His rival is the Prince of Halloween, who also happens to be the stranger he made out with behind that bar. This messy situation keeps devolving, leading Coal and his friends to have to fight for what their holidays and they themselves deserve.

February’s Celebrity Book Club Picks

- Stephanie Leave a comment

It’s a new month which means that Jenna Bush Hager and Reese Witherspoon have picked new books for their book clubs! Reminder that if you join Simply Held, you can choose to have their selections automatically put on hold for you.

_________________________________

Jenna Bush Hager has selected This is a Love Story by Jessica Soffer for her February pick.

Curious what This is a Love Story is about? Check out the following description provided by the publisher.

An intimate and lyrical celebration of great love, great art, and the sacrifices we make for both

For fifty years, Abe and Jane have been coming to Central Park, as starry-eyed young lovers, as frustrated and exhausted parents, as artists watching their careers take flight. They came alone when they needed to get away from each other, and together when they had something important to discuss. The Park has been their witness for half a century of love. Until now.

Jane is dying, and Abe is recounting their life together as a way of keeping them going: the parts they knew—their courtship and early marriage, their blossoming creative lives—and the parts they didn’t always want to know—the determined young student of Abe’s looking for a love story of her own, and their son, Max, who believes his mother chose art over parenthood, and who has avoided love and intimacy at all costs. Told in various points of view, even in conversation with Central Park, these voices weave in and out to paint a portrait as complicated and essential as love itself.

An homage to New York City, to romance, and even to loss, This Is a Love Story tenderly and suspensefully captures deep truths about life and marriage in radiant prose. It is about love that endures despite what life throws at us, or perhaps even because of it. – Dutton

__________________________________

Reese Witherspoon has selected Isola by Allegra Goodman for her February pick.

Curious what Isola is about? Check out the following description provided by the publisher.

Heir to a fortune, Marguerite is destined for a life of prosperity and gentility. Then she is orphaned, and her guardian—an enigmatic and volatile man—spends her inheritance and insists she accompany him on an expedition to New France. That journey takes a unexpected turn when Marguerite, accused of betrayal, is brutally punished and abandoned on a small island.

Once a child of privilege who dressed in gowns and laced pearls in her hair, Marguerite finds herself at the mercy of nature. As the weather turns, blanketing the island in ice, she discovers a faith she’d never before needed.

Inspired by the real life of a sixteenth-century heroine, Isola is the timeless story of a woman fighting for survival. – The Dial Press

Join Simply Held to have Oprah, Jenna, and Reese’s adult selections automatically put on hold for you!